This webinar explores different strategies and approaches to ignite students’ love of reading in simple, actionable ways.
Suitable for: KS3 teachers, secondary school English and literacy leads, librarians and headteachers.
Webinar: Reading for Pleasure at KS3: Practical Strategies for Engaging Year 7 and Year 8 Students
Watch this inspiring and practical webinar for KS3 teachers, secondary school English and literacy leads, librarians and headteachers who are passionate about building a strong reading culture in their school.
Transcript available on Youtube
About the webinar
Are you passionate about nurturing a lifelong love of reading in your students? Unlock new ways to inspire reading for pleasure in your Year 7 and 8 students with BookTrust’s free research-focused webinar, designed specifically for KS3 teachers, librarians, literacy and English leads and secondary school headteachers.
Research studies show the impact that reading by choice has on driving students’ language and literacy development, progress across the curriculum and mental wellbeing. Watch this session to discover practical ideas and strategies you can implement in your school.
In this engaging webinar, you’ll:
- Discover research-backed strategies to make reading for pleasure an integral part of your KS3 curriculum.
- Hear first-hand from expert practitioners who are making a real difference in their schools and take away ideas you can easily implement.
- Gain practical ideas and resources to overcome common barriers and embed reading for pleasure in your school.
- Hear from a children’s author about what truly resonates with young readers and how to foster long-term engagement.
Speakers include an expert from BookTrust’s Research and Impact Team, a secondary school teacher and a librarian, both with extensive experience, and Kevin Moran, a leading children’s author who is also a practicing teacher. (All the names will be announced soon).
Whether you’re looking to refresh your approach to KS3 reading or seeking strategies to reach reluctant readers, this session will equip you with actionable ideas, inspiring stories, and a path to building a stronger reading culture in your school.
Secure your place now and be part of the movement to put reading for pleasure at the heart of the KS3 experience – spaces are limited.
About the speakers
Author and primary school teacher
Kevin Moran is a bestselling children’s author and primary school teacher from Ireland. His debut novel, The Doomsday Club, was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year (Senior) 2025 and the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards 2026, and came runner-up in the Great Read Awards 2025.
The Doomsday Club: Shape-Shifters was a World Book Day 2026 title and The Doomsday Club: Bog Bodies is set to launch in October 2026. When not writing, he can often be found on the beach near his home in Dublin, being walked by his surprisingly strong golden retriever.
Assistant Director of English
Glynn Palmer-Bell is an Assistant Director of English, whole school literacy coordinator and reading lead who drives the reading culture and approach throughout the Multi Academy Trust in which he works.
Secondary school librarian
Heather Harrison Lawrence has been a secondary school librarian for three years after working in various roles in schools for the last 17 years (starting as a science technician, then tutoring students during COVID before supporting an English Department with English Language and Literature lessons and embedding a reading for pleasure culture in the school.